


Death Becomes Him

by sunflower1343



Category: Finder no Hyouteki | Finder Series
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-26
Updated: 2016-05-26
Packaged: 2018-07-10 09:37:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,658
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6978055
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sunflower1343/pseuds/sunflower1343
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Asami faces the one foe he can't beat, and maybe finds the one thing that will let him.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Death Becomes Him

**Author's Note:**

> I have no idea where this fic came from, except that some friends were down and I wanted to cheer them up. I remember it being loosely related to us talking about a great short story by Ellison called The Deathbird, though they have absolutely nothing in common, most especially quality. Oh, and this is sort of tied to the Suoh of Then and Now, which I posted here a couple of weeks ago, but not so much that it needs to be read first. Written April 2007.
> 
> ~~~~~~~~~~

He fell to his knees in disbelief. For years he'd been prepared, escaping death, narrowly at times, by knowing his enemies and trusting no one. Yet tonight he'd taken a shortcut down an alley to get back to the car and a simple mugging finally caught him unawares. Stabbed in his chest, shattering his phone, just his luck.

The pain was unbearable, but he knew it would numb all too quickly. His knees and arms were shaking, weakening, unable to hold him up. But he made them, as he tried to crawl to the end of the alley, to the street where his men might see him. He'd die if he stayed where he was, so he would move. That was how he always did things. Nothing stopped him. Obstacles were for mowing down. 

His heart was pounding. He could feel it pumping blood out of him. He had to block the wounds, but his hands no longer wanted to move. All his will concentrated on one offending body part. _Move. You will move. You must move._

The arm finally obeyed. He didn't give it any other option. 

He pressed his hand against the biggest hole in his chest, blood slowly spilling around the edges of his fingers, warm. All his warmth pouring out of him. He laughed, inside at least. He'd always been called a cold bastard. Wouldn't Akihito be surprised to find him as warm inside as everyone else?

He realized his thoughts were straying and that he was just lying there doing nothing, and pulled himself back together. There was no time for this. He pushed himself up slightly with his other arm and fell forward a foot or two. Pain ripped through him as he hit the pavement and he almost passed out.

_No. No. Stay awake._

Something passed the end of the alley. A man, who glanced over then quickly glanced away, hurrying off.

He wouldn't have asked for help anyway. It was not his way. If he couldn't survive this, he didn't deserve to survive it.

But it would have been convenient had the man stopped.

He lay on the concrete. It was cool under his cheek, and comfortable. He didn't want to move, but had to. But when he tried pushing himself up, he only succeeded in rolling himself onto his back. He lay there, staring at the sliver of sky visible between the buildings.

Akihito would have stopped. He would have called an ambulance and remained at the hospital, even for a stranger. Even for him.

His mind was drifting too much. He realized that he was losing blood too rapidly, that this time it might very well be the end of it.

But there was so much he wanted to do.

~Was there?~

~What?~

~What was worth the effort?~

The answer came easily. 

_All of it. Life._

_My life over everyone else's. Life always spit on me and tried to take everything away, but I’m stronger and better and smarter and I laugh at all of you because I win time and again._

~Are you laughing now?~

He squinted up at the sky again. The stars, usually invisible in Tokyo, now flickered over his head, fading in and out of his vision.

~You cheat death time and again, and yet you fail to appreciate what you've gained each time.~

_No. I celebrate life. I indulge in it every day._

The pounding of the blood in his ears was growing fainter. He remembered to be concerned about it, but his body would no longer respond to his commands.

He heard something scurry through the darkness near his head. He tried to see it but the edges of it shifted, as if it wasn't quite there.

~So your only regret is that you can't live to do more of the same?~

That confused him. He wouldn't put that way. It sounded awful. It sounded boring.

~You'd run over more people in your quest for more power and money and sex? Same old thing?~

That didn't sound right, but he was having trouble figuring out just why.

~Nothing new, hmm? It doesn't sound like there's really any reason to keep you around.~

He coughed a little. It was getting harder to breathe. _No. No! I will stay. I will live._

~Why? You've accomplished everything you set out to. Rest. Relax. It's time.~

The pounding of his heart was growing faint.

~Why?... Why?....~

He could hear each beat, an eternity between them.

~Why go on?~

_I want..._

~Want what? Why not rest?~

_I've not yet..._

~Done what? Why fight?~

That was the easiest question.

_It's who I am._

His fingers moved, though they were near numb from the lack of blood. They sought to grasp anything. For a second, he imagined a warm hand, but when his fingers twitched again he knew that was just some fantasy. It was glass he touched. A cold empty bottle. 

He had to...

Do something...

Shadows fell over everything. He tried to see through them and failed. It was as if they were within his eyes.

~Rest. It's time.~

_No!_

~Rest...~

_Never._

~Rest.....~

He was given no choice.

For the first and last time, he obeyed. 

 

\---

 

He floated in a silent place of dark grey, alone. It was neither hot nor cold. There was no up, no down. It was all the same, isolated, tepid, but for one thing. It would have been black but for a small light off to his left. He tried to move toward it, but it didn't seem like he was moving at all. The light got no closer.

_What the hell? Aren't I supposed to get some kind of tunnel to heaven?_

"That's only for those who believe in it." A shadow appeared next to him, blacker than the surrounding darkness. It didn't look recognizable, but he felt like he knew it.

 _Where am I? Wasn't I just....?_ He dimly remembered an alley. It seemed so long ago.

"You're still in the alley."

_Am I? Then what is this place?_

"This is where you'll spend eternity."

He was appalled. _This? This nothingness?_

The shadow waved an appendage. "This encompasses all that you've ever believed in."

Asami looked around. _You mean myself and nothing else. You're saying I built this place all on my own._

"Yes."

_What is that light then?_

"This is a place you wrought. You tell me."

_I don't know. There were no lights in my life. Maybe everyone gets a hundred-watt bulb just to shove home the fact that they have nothing._

"No. Some people are in utter darkness. Those who kill themselves, for instance, often see nothing. But you have a light. There must be some reason."

Asami examined it. It felt familiar, but he couldn't place it. Well, evidently he had an eternity on which to ponder the question. Or did he?

He tried once more to reach the light, but in vain. _Why can't I get closer to it?_

"As you wouldn't let yourself get close in life, so you may not in death."

Asami turned to the shadow. _So nothing can change? After death, nothing ever changes? That's bullshit. Everyone would go crazy after just a week of monotony. Things must change. If I'm stuck here, I_ will _change them. To put it in the cryptic terms you seem to like, as I was in life, so I will be in death._

He stared at the shadow. _Why are you here? I never believed in you._

"Didn't you? I rather thought I was a certainty in your life. One thing you always counted on."

_People say that about taxes too, but I didn't pay those either._

A sense of sharp laughter from the other surprised him. "You're closer to the truth than you think. I'm merely a guide, here because your future is still uncertain. Your body still lives. If it dies, I leave you here to this."

For the first time in ages, Asami felt fear. To be left in this nothingness for eternity, with no company, nothing to do? That couldn't happen. He couldn't be left alone like that. 

Thought not quite alone. His eyes didn't seem to be able to leave the light. What had he believed in that would shine so? Nothing in his world had been pure and bright. Something tugged at his memory, but his life seemed so hazy now.

He again tried to reach it, and could not. Frustration filled him. _I refuse to accept this._ He looked at the shadow. It stood by, as if waiting for something.

_You say this place is of me, all I believed in. But I believed I could change the world, and did._

The shadow shimmered slightly.

_I won't accept this._

"Even that?"

He knew what was meant. It was the only thing there outside of the two of them.

His eyes strayed to it again.

_I will get closer. I won't accept being separate from the one thing...._

He froze, suddenly understanding. 

Not thing. Person.

He'd been such an idiot. 

Suddenly something filled him, something he didn't recognize, but he wasn't questioning it because it made him feel so strong. The shadow was now vibrating beside him like a plucked string.

He grabbed onto his new-found strength with all he had and sped for the light. This time it didn't avoid him, it couldn't, and it led him home.

In the alley, his numb fingers grasped the empty bottle, though they were slick with his blood. Some of strength he'd found remained, and his hand rose, then fell, shattering the glass, breaking the silence.

As he was passing out, he heard the shouts of a man. 

He tried to say what he needed to.

He heard faint dry laughter, like leaves skittering along pavement. 

He wrapped his thoughts around the light. His.

He let himself go under.

 

\---

 

A cold wind blew out of nowhere through the dark alley where Asami lay alone, the remnants of a shattered bottle beside him. The large blond man, his attention caught by the sound, stood at the head of the alley, frozen in horror. He shook it off and he ran down the alley, shouting, calling on his phone. He knelt beside his master who was nearly unconscious, mumbling something.

"Asami-sama. Don't try to talk. An ambulance is coming."

"...Mine....Want..."

Want what? He would get Asami-sama anything, if only he'd live. He pressed down on the wound, stopping the blood from leaking. So much blood already lost. He willed himself not to panic. He leaned closer, trying to understand.

"Get him.... I need him..." 

"Don't try to talk. I'll get whoever you want later, Asami-sama. Please don't move." Shit. This was bad. Need someone? Asami-sama never talked like that. Where was the ambulance? 

The limo pulled up to the end of the alley, tires shrieking on the pavement. "Quick! We don't have time. Get him in here." It was Kirishima, his master's other dog, reflective glasses for once failing to cover his concern.

"Hold the wound while I carry him," Suoh ordered.

Once Kirishima's hands were pressed to the gaping holes, he picked his master up, cradling him gently. Asami-sama must have been in great pain, but he didn't cry out once. It was times like these that only made him love his master more.

"Akihito..." 

_I'm not Akihito._ That hurt, but his master never really saw him. He accepted it as his lot though, as long as he could keep him safe. "I'll get him for you, Asami-sama, after we get you to the hospital." 

He would bring the boy for his master, if it would give him some comfort. He would always see that he had everything he wished for.

 

\---

 

Akihito woke suddenly to a still dark bedroom, fragments of an erotic dream slipping away before he could remember them.

Someone was pounding on the door. Someone with a heavy fist. 

He heard a neighbor's door open, then close with a slam. He sighed. That meant one of Asami's men.

Rising quickly, he pulled on some jeans and a cotton shirt, slipped his shoes on, ran his hand through his hair, then tugged the door open and strode out of his apartment. The man outside, the blond, stepped back in surprise.

"Asami-sama –"

"Yeah yeah, let's just go. I want to see him too." He was still feeling the after-effects of that dream. If anyone could take the edge off, it was Asami. They might only have sex between them, but it was good sex. He shoved his feelings for the guy into a box where they wouldn't get hurt. It would never do to let them be seen. They'd only be used against him.

Akihito stopped halfway down the steps and turned back. The bodyguard was still standing there, staring at him. "What are you waiting for? He'll get pissed if you keep him waiting."

The man began to follow.

"Hey where's the limo? Don't I rate it anymore?"

The guard gave him a look that made any further words die on his lips. "It's being cleaned."

 

\---

 

Beeping. Endless annoying beeping. He knew what is was, and it sounded beautiful.

There were voices whispering but he couldn't hear them clearly above the machinery. He tried to opened his eyes but they didn't want to move. He slid back into sleep with but one thought. Now he had time.

 

\---

 

Akihito tore down the hospital corridor toward the doorway with two guards at the end of the hall. He wanted to walk nonchalantly, but who was he kidding? Whatever Asami thought of him, the two of them were too closely tied. He needed to be there.

The blond guy had said Asami had asked for him. That meant he wasn't hurt that bad, right? He'd been sick at the thought of Asami's blood before, when he'd been shot trying to save him. At least this time it wasn't his fault. So why did it hurt more? Why was he so scared?

He knew why. He just didn't like admitting it. The two years they'd been together had only made his feelings stronger. He wasn't the type who could fuck emotionlessly, not caring for his partner. He cared, and cared too much. 

The feelings that were welling up got pushed down again. He was so used to doing that. But if it was bad.... He didn't need to feel any more raw than he already did.

His face was free from the turmoil inside, but he ran faster.

 

\---

 

The next time Asami woke up, his eyes opened easily to what looked like a hospital room. 

"Asami-sama? You're awake?" A familiar blond head appeared above him.

"Kazumi." At least, that's what he tried to say. Nothing came out but a rasp.

"Don't try to talk. You're in bad shape but you hung on. I knew you would."

A large hand gently raised his head and put a straw to his lips. He sucked at it, the cool water tasting sweet and pure. Pure... Something tugged at his memory. What was he supposed to remember?

"We're trying to find the ones responsible for this, Asami-sama. There doesn't seem to be any buzz around. The gangs aren't bragging. No one is admitting anything. They're all just circling and waiting."

Because it wasn't them. It was some punk. "Not..."

"Not what?"

"Not... ya...." Fuck. He couldn't even grind out a couple of syllables.

"It wasn't yakuza."

The voice washed over him, soothing pains the drugs weren't touching. Of course _he_ would understand. Of course the voice didn't stop there, and the brattiness would have made him smile if he'd had the strength.

"What was it then, someone else you pissed off? There must be thousands of suspects in Tokyo alone. Or was it a mugging? Did you find his wallet on him?" The last must have been asked of Suoh, because his bodyguard looked toward the right of the room and shook his head.

"A mugging then. The mighty Asami brought down by a thief."

The familiar face appeared to the right of his bed. The boy sat, jarring him slightly, sending waves of pain through him. He gathered his strength and looked over at him, seeing the concern he was trying to hide. Beautiful. 

"Mine."

"Yeah, I get that a lot from you."

"Not..." Not the same way this time. 

"Not what? Not allowed to leave? I've heard that one too."

"No... A.. ki..." The strain was too much. He closed his eyes, breathing heavily. He had to find another way. His hand, the back of his hand, was touching Akihito's, and he concentrated with all he had. By will alone he lifted his fingers to grasp Akihito's index finger and hold on. 

Yes. That was it, what he'd been chasing. He heard a gasp, and hoped his message had been received. He tried to open his eyes to see, so he'd know for certain, but he'd used any reserves left in him. 

When he fell into sleep again his grip tightened. This time he wasn't letting go.

 

\---

 

Akihito stared down at his hand, one finger engulfed in a large fist. It was what a baby would do. Experimenting, he pulled a little, but the fist tightened and wouldn't release him. He was pleased to have an excuse. With a sigh he looked at the bodyguard. 

"I guess this means I'm here to stay. Can you grab me a chair?"

The man silently brought one from across the room, and Akihito shifted from the bed down into it. He glanced up at the bodyguard, and found him staring at their hands.

"Strange, huh? He just never lets go, and this time it's literal."

The guard's eyes shifted to his. He was shocked to see a deep pain in them, but that was chased away by contempt and hatred. "You. You have everything, his thoughts, his desires. You're what he spoke of while dying and the first thing he asked for on awakening, and still you whine like a child. Do you have any idea how many people would kill to be you? Do you?"

The guard stepped closer, his hands flexing. Akihito pulled back in alarm, taking Asami's hand with him.

The blond sneered. "Don't worry. I'd only like to kill you. But I won't, because he wouldn't like it. And I never do anything he wouldn't like." The man's shoulders slumped. "It's been that way for twenty years and it won't change now. You're safe until he says otherwise." 

The large hands now hung loose, empty. Akihito felt pity stir within him. What must it have been like, to love a man like Asami for so long? "I'm sorry. Look... Kazumi-san, right?"

"That's Suoh to you."

"Suoh-san. You don't see it this way, but you're lucky, you know?"

The other snorted.

"No, really. He's had lots of lovers right?" Suoh nodded. "Are any of them still a part of his life? No. And I won't be either as soon as he gets tired of me. But you, you've been with him for twenty years. That means he really values you. To him, you're worth a lot more than a lover, more than me. Isn't that better?"

Suoh stared at him blankly. "I'm not an idiot. I've told myself that too, but it doesn't make a hell of a lot of difference when he leaves for home with another guy." He shook his head. "You know, you're something else, thinking of my feelings right after I tell you I want you dead. I guess I can see why he likes you. I just don't get why you don't think of his feelings too." The big shoulders shrugged. "Whatever. He'll dump you faster if you don't." 

Akihito didn't have anything to say to that.

Suoh turned to leave, his body slumping with exhaustion, or maybe resignation. "I'm going to go get some food. I'll bring something back for you."

He paused at the door, hand on the frame, face showing an argument going on inside of him before more words spilled out. "Take it easy on him. He doesn't need any extra to worry him right now. And if you worry him, you'll answer to me." He hesitated, then continued softly. "Something is different with him. I've never seen him reach out like that. Don't screw it up."

And with those annoying words, he left.

"Don't screw it up." Akihito mimicked. He wasn't the one who always screwed it up. Mr. Screw-up lay right in front of him.

Holding his finger.

What the hell? What was going on?

He sat back down in his chair. Asami never woke up through all of that, and he never let go. Akihito looked at the face, pale, lined, eyes a little sunken. Not the man he was used to seeing. What had happened to him? It wasn't just the wound. It was something deeper. He didn't understand, and he didn't dare hope.

He laid his head on the mattress, next to their hands, and stared at them. Those fingers, long, slim, strong, he knew them so well. They'd done a lot of things to him, touched him for many reasons, not all bad, some kind of nice.

But never this.

Never in need.

He noticed scrapes along the fingertips, like Asami had used them to pull himself along the pavement. Never giving up. Any other man probably would have died in that alley. Not Asami. He felt a little pride at that. Pride in his man. Something most people displayed, but he always had to hide it.

He remembered the fingers threading through his hair once, offering comfort and he leaned forward and pressed his lips to the cuts there, running his tongue across them like a puppy licking a wound. A low sound from the head of the bed had him jerking back. 

But Asami's face remained still. He laid his head down again, his cheek against their hands, and fell asleep.

 

\---

 

Asami lay there quietly, not moving, though everything inside him wanted to. He knew that sudden motion by predators scared off small animals, and that definitely applied here. But when he felt the tongue licking his fingers, he couldn't prevent the small moan that escaped. He felt Akihito jerk away at the noise. Silently cursing, he pretended to still be asleep and was rewarded by the softness of Akihito's cheek against his hand. He nearly sighed, but this time made no noise, letting Akihito slip into sleep where he was.

Licking his wounds. Like a kitten. Foolish boy.

But even as he said it to himself, he brought the feeling closer. There'd be no more distances between them. Not this time.

He slept again, resting easier, despite his wounds, than he had in a long time.

 

\---

 

When next he woke, he was confronted by a snarling version of his kitten, hair flat on one side, sticking straight up on the other, a bad case of bed head. He'd have laughed if he didn't know it would hurt. Still, he felt a lot better than he had the day before. He could at least smirk.

"Let go of me dammit! I have to pee!"

Amused, he released the boy and watched him run to the toilet.

When the door was firmly closed, his eyes went to Suoh's. "Status report."

Suoh bowed. "Asami-sama. First, you've been unconscious off and on for four days. Your prognosis is good, though the surgeon insists you remain here in bed for at least another week."

At Asami's look of disgust, he continued quickly, "I'm sure we can move you home with adequate care. As far as business, Kirishima has been handling that. He'll be here shortly to report in. I handled your safety and the search for your attacker. We finally found him last night, boasting about the money in a bar in the Golden Gai. The owner owed us favors and contacted us, keeping him there until I got him. I dealt with it. He broke easily. He was young and stupid, a tough from Osaka who knew nothing, not even who you were."

"Was?"

"I'm sorry, Asami-sama. I know you would have like to have dealt with him personally, but I lost my temper. Please forgive me." Suoh bowed deeply.

"Forget about it, my friend. Just remember that I get to kill the next one." 

Suoh straightened and a seldom-seen grin appeared. "It's a deal." Then it disappeared as Akihito came back into the room.

"Suoh. Leave us. We're not to be disturbed."

He watched the blond's eyes narrow, but knew obedience was too ingrained. Suoh stalked from the room, making said obedience seem a little more like defiance. They might have to have a talk.

Speaking of which...

"Akihito. Come, sit."

"I'm not a dog."

"You were more charming last night when you licked my wounds."

"You were more charming when I thought you were dead."

He sighed and closed his eyes, wincing as if in pain. 

"Asami?" He heard the footsteps approaching his bed. "Do you need a nurse?"

So naïve. His hand reached out and snagged the slim wrist.

"Shit. You liar!"

"I just don't want you to run before we can talk. Sit. Please." That last cost him.

And Akihito knew it. He was staring at him suspiciously. "I've never heard that word come out of your mouth. Where is Asami and what can we do to keep him there?"

He felt the scowl come. "I'm Asami dammit. But sometimes things change. Sometimes a person wants to change things. Is that so hard to believe?"

Akihito's lip curled up. "Don't tell me you found religion. You saw the tunnel of light and met God and when he told you that you were a total shit who was going to hell you found Jesus and were saved. Oh my God, don't tell me you're going to start going door to door on Sunday mornings with pamphlets. The Christian population of Tokyo will have to flee for their lives."

"I'd bet the number of Christian women would double in a month," Asami mused. Then he recalled himself. "That's not what happened. Not exactly."

He didn't want to go into this; he felt like an idiot, but the boy would never believe him otherwise.

"You're probably not going to believe this, but it doesn't matter. It was real to me. I was there. And I'm going to tell you just once, and then I never want to hear it mentioned again, understand?"

Akihito just stared at him.

"I'm not joking Akihito. Not a word. Or what happened that first time will seem like a vacation compared to the punishment I'll dish out. Got it?"

"I've got it. You'll shove your ego up my ass. Oh wait, that's what you always do. Just get on with it."

"Thank you so much for making this so easy on me."

"Is that really what you want?"

He sighed. "Of course not. I hate people who patronize me. "

He then proceeded to tell his version of what happened. Akihito's face at first showed some sympathy, and his free hand moved to Asami's arm. But the look quickly changed to wariness and disbelief. But those too disappeared as the Asami told of the emptiness, and the single light in his darkness. 

By the time Asami finally fell silent, tears of anger were running down Akihito's cheeks. "You idiot! You see what your stupid lifestyle led you to? You push Suoh away. You push me away. You pushed Feilong away and look how well that one turned out!"

"You believe me." He couldn't fathom it.

"Of course I believe it! That's not something you'd make up. You'd make up being Ruler of Hell after winning it from Satan in a crooked poker game. But that a sad little corner of nothing was all you earned? You'd never admit to that."

"You believe me." Only Akihito. Only him. He did laugh, once, then stopped at the pain.

"What I can't believe is that you told me." Akihito scrubbed his tears from face with his free arm. "So what do you think this light thing was?"

Asami looked at him in disbelief. He couldn't resist. "Obviously it's my bank account. I need to stay closer to my money. Start sleeping with it."

Akihito scowled. "Now you're lying. And it can't possibly be your dick, because you're way closer to that now than is natural."

"Akihito...." He tried to rein in his temper and failed. "You're right. It's not my dick. It's your ass. And my dick and your ass are going to be best friends from now on."

"The hell they will!" Akihito stood up abruptly, knocking his chair aside, trying to get away.

Shit, this wasn't what he wanted, not to mention it hurt like hell and was ripping something loose. He spit out what needed to be said before he lost his nerve and desire to.

"Akihito, I'm sorry."

He watched all the fight drain away into tears. Hell, everything drained away and left a slack-jawed crying idiot who promptly sat on the bed when his legs gave way. Asami released the now-bruised wrist. He reached up and gently pushed Akihito's jaw shut. "You're dripping on my sheets."

That snapped Akihito back into reality. He shook his head, sending sparkling tears flying. "Oh no you don't. You're not distracting me from what you said. Although, it's hard to believe you said that too. But I don't think you would say something like that ever, and not mean it. You meant it, didn't you?"

He nodded wearily. 

Akihito wiped his eyes again, then stood up and began pacing up and down beside the bed. "This is just too much, Asami. It's too much to take in. You're like a different person. Sort of. A kinder gentler bastard. I just don't understand what you're driving at. Are you saying you want a real relationship now? Is that it? How could you change the way you feel about me overnight?"

He usually blew these questions off, because Akihito only asked them when drunk. And the answers were never sentimental ones. At least they hadn't been. Even now, he wasn't sure. But he knew he had to be more open than usual or Akihito would walk and it would go back to the same old thing.

"It may be hard to believe, Akihito, but I don't know all the answers. I only know that things between us need to change. I worked my whole life to surround myself with everything I wanted and saw it all stripped away in an instant. And the funny thing was, I really only missed one thing. I didn't even know what it was at first, just that it was in front of me the whole time, and when I couldn't reach it.... " 

He remembered the ache in his chest at the time, and knew it hadn't just been from the knife wounds. Something of it must have appeared on his face, because Akihito was suddenly on the bed next to him, holding his hand. _That warm hand I imagined in the alley._ "Then I knew it was you. I swore I would change whatever it took to close that distance. That's what brought me back. I intend to follow through."

Akihito smiled a little. "You make it sound like a business plan."

"It's what I know. I'm not entirely sure how to go about things differently. You may not have noticed, but I'm not exactly the romantic type."

That got him a snort of laughter. It pleased him, to make the boy laugh.

"I never would have guessed. You're serious about this, aren't you? Well, if you want a hint, try asking instead of ordering. It'd go a long way toward making this a real relationship. Don't make a face! If you can't learn to do that you're hopeless."

Asami smoothed the displeasure off his face. Ask. He never asked for anything. But hopeless is what he'd almost felt in the beyond, and he would never let that happen again. He forced the words out. "Then. Would you...? Gah. Would you stay with me? A few days?" He snapped his mouth shut and pretended he hadn't said anything of the kind, glaring at Akihito.

Akihito burst into laughter. "That was priceless! I'd insist that you say pretty please, only I think it would rupture your spleen. Oh don't look that way!" He leaned forward and kissed Asami lightly on the lips. "Yes, I'll stay."

Asami grabbed the front of Akihito's shirt and pulled him in for another kiss. "Forever. I meant forever."

Akihito smiled down at him. "I know. So did I."

 

\---

 

Outside the door, Suoh blinked rapidly. _So that's it then._ As he straightened his shoulders he felt a hand upon one. He turned his head to glare at the offender and possibly rip the man's arm off. It was Kirishima. He relaxed.

"You heard?"

"I heard. He'll cause nothing but trouble. Asami-sama will need us more than ever to clean up his wife's mistakes."

Suoh laughed. He could always count on Kirishima. "We'd best start making preparations then." He nodded at the door. "Enter at your own risk."

"He almost died 4 days ago. What could they possibly be –?"

A low moan was heard through the door.

Suoh couldn't help laughing again. "You forget this is Asami-sama we're talking about."

"My mistake. Let's get some breakfast and talk over plans."

Kirishima turned away and Suoh stopped him. "Thank you."

Kirishima's glasses flashed as he shrugged. "There's no need for thanks between friends."

They left the red-faced guards to listen to the remainder of the honeymoon inside the hospital room.

 

\---

 

A shadow inside a shadow, darker than black, suddenly found itself amidst an unshaped field of colors. Laughing in delight, it fled.

 

~end~


End file.
